With its modernist silhouette, its immaculate concrete scrolls and its spirit “inside outside” based on a pioneering bioclimatic approach, the Villa Benkemoun, labeled 20th century heritagee century, is a building apart in the Arlesian landscape. And this, even if it was built parallel to its almost twin, the Villa Bank, posted on the neighboring plot. Inspired by the organic achievements of his elders Frank Lloyd Wright and Alvar Aalto, the architect Emile Sala (1913-1998) gave the starting signal for the construction sites in 1971, after having refined separate plans with the couples of owners, the Banks and the Benkemouns.
Three years later, at the end of August, Simone and Pierre Benkemoun moved into the (curved) walls of their new home, where they would spend more than four decades, surrounded by their children and friends. This extraordinary place, spread over one hectare of land and 500 square meters of living space, and which today hosts cultural events, is run by their daughter, the journalist and writer Brigitte Benkemoun (I am Dora Maar’s notebook, Her life for Picasso, Stock editions, 2019), and his companion, the documentarist Thierry Demaizière, who recently supervised the restoration of the building.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, the villa is hosting the exhibition “ 1974 – Past, Present, Future”, orchestrated by curator Raphaël Giannesini as “a crisscrossing between utopias and reality, mobilizing art, design, music and fashion.” The works of artists and designers from yesterday (Andy Warhol, Claude Parent, Jacques Villeglé, Victor Vasarely, Alain Jacquet, Verner Panton, etc.) and today (Atelier Baptiste & Jaïna, Béatrice Balcou, Marion Chaillou, etc.) thus question, through the pieces, the creative heritage of this pivotal year, torn between the oil shock and the Veil law.
Some of the original furniture will temporarily give way to creations by Joseph-André Motte or Enzo Mari. But of course, you will be able to admire the astonishing work carried out at the time by the decorator Robert Heams, from the retrofuturistic kitchen to the circular shower cubicles, not to mention the sculptural metal tile fireplace created by Max Sauze.
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“1974 – Past, Present, Future”, Villa Benkemoun, in Arles, until September 29 (closed Mondays and Tuesdays). Visit by reservation at [email protected]
